septem vitae oscula
by JacksonFrost
Summary: Some say you can tell a story through kisses.


_for femme fetal's seven kisses challenge. please don't favorite without reviewing! _

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* * *

_**septem vitae oscula**

_(a life in seven kisses)_

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* * *

_It's the first day of Hogwarts, and Peter's mother is sobbing. "My sweet boy, I'll miss you so," she says, hugging him so tightly he can't breathe.

"Mum," he mutters, noticing the pair of boys with matching black hair, one with glasses and the other with an overall cocky demeanor, smirking at him. "You're embarrassing me."

His mother ignores him, planting a wet, sloppy kiss on his cheek. "I love you, dear. Promise to write me every week?"

Peter hears laughter and he pulls away, his cheeks hot with shame. "Yeah, alright, Mum," he says, worming out of her grasp and running onto the train.

* * *

It's an unordinary day in third year, and the teasing is becoming unbearable. "Ickle Peter-kins," James cries. "He's just a baby!"

"Now, now," Sirius says, almost lazily. "It's not his fault no girls find him attractive enough to kiss him."

Remus gives Sirius a nasty look. "Plenty of people wait to have their first kiss."

"Do you want to wait, Petey?" Sirius asks gravely. "Is that what you want to do?" Peter shakes his head miserably and Sirius grins. "You know Alice? Pretty girl. I think she likes you."

"Sirius," Remus says warningly.

Sirius throws him an annoyed look. "I almost guarantee she likes you."

"What do you think, James?" Peter asks eagerly.

James smirks. "You know, Pete, I wouldn't be a bit surprised if she was in love with you."

Peter looks at Remus expectantly, and he sighs. "I don't know, Peter. I mean, yeah, maybe she does like you. Try talking to her, yeah?"

"Or just go up and kiss her," Sirius says excitedly. "Look, there she is now."

"I bet he won't," James says meanly. "I bet he doesn't even want his first kiss. He'll chicken out."

The unspoken _as usual_ lies between them and Peter stands up. Ignoring their taunts, he strides over to Alice and without prelude, plants his lips on her mouth. It's awkward and nothing like he expected and it only lasts five seconds before she pushes him away and starts yelling.

"What are you doing?"

"I like Frank, Peter."

"You're so weird!"

Peter's cheeks burn and he looks back to his friends. Remus is gone and Sirius and James are laughing. For one wild second, Peter wants to punch them.

* * *

He's fifteen and Rosie, the sweet Hufflepuff a year below him, is standing before him and he thinks she might be more nervous than he is. He reaches out and grabs her hand and she smiles at him, her blue eyes wide and innocent.

"Mistletoe," he points out unnecessarily, it is after all the reason they've been standing here for the last five minutes.

"Yes," she murmurs and squeezes his hand softly.

Peter takes a deep breath, lurches forward, and kisses her. She doesn't push him away, in fact, she kisses him back and it's rather nice.

* * *

All of sixth year, he fancies himself in love with Dorcas Meadows. She's a year older than him, and God, she's gorgeous, all brown hair and warm eyes and legs that even picky Sirius admires.

He doesn't tell his friends about his crush, not after the fiasco with Alice (he refuses to let that go, no matter how many times James and Sirius apologize), but he supposes it's obvious enough and one day, Remus draws him aside to tell him that Dorcas' date for the upcoming Valentine's Day Hogsmede trip canceled on her.

"Apparently his mum's ill or something and he has to go home for the weekend," Remus dismisses this easily. "Anyway, she's now dateless. And everyone else already has a date."

"Except for me," Peter says slowly.

Remus grins. "Except for you."

And then he's asking Dorcas and she's blinking in surprise but saying yes and then they're going to Hogsmede together and Peter can hardly believe his luck. She keeps the conversation flowingly effortlessly and Peter punctuates it with a few jokes he stole from James and she laughs at them all.

After, he stands outside the gates of Hogwarts and stutters. "I had fun today," he manages, and encouraged by her smile, he continues. "And I was wondering if- well, I thought maybe we could- if you wanted to do this…again."

Dorcas bites her lip and looks at him. "Peter," she says slowly. "I had fun today too. But I think we should just be friends, okay?"

Peter feels the crushing wave of disappointment and wonders how he could be so stupid to expect otherwise. "Okay."

Dorcas smiles sadly. "You're a great guy, Pete," she says, leaning forward and kissing his cheek.

Later, this is the memory that lets Peter produce his first Patronus.

* * *

Peter is sitting quietly in the corner of the common room, trying not to remind anyone of his presence. Sirius is having a fight with his girlfriend-or-something, Marlene McKinnon, and he thinks they've both forgotten all about him.

"I can kiss whoever I want, Sirius," Marlene shouts, her eyes flashing.

"But does it have to be the one person on this earth I hate almost as much as my mother?" Sirius moans.

"If it makes you feel any better, I didn't _enjoy_ kissing Snape. You're a much better snogger, you know," Marlene says, smirking.

Sirius brightens at that. "I assumed, but dammit Maureen, he's going to taunt me with that forever now!"

Marlene moves closer to Sirius, her fingers running up and down his arm. "It was a dare. You know I can't resist dares," she breathes, closing the gap between them with a long kiss. Peter shifts uncomfortably.

Sirius breaks away. "Well, don't do it again," he says sullenly.

Marlene's eyes are flashing again. "Don't you get it, Sirius? I'm not yours to control. I can kiss whoever I damn well want. Hell, I can kiss Peter here if I want."

Peter makes a small sound and Marlene is in front of him, pulling him into a deep kiss. She tastes of cigarettes and lipstick.

Sirius growls behind them and Marlene breaks away, her eyes shining as she flashes a quick grin at Peter.

Peter can't help the smirk that crosses his face just as Sirius turns to glare at him.

* * *

James and Lily make him Secret Keeper. His Lord is thrilled and tells him he may be worthy after all. Peter tries to hide the shudder of revulsion that goes through him.

He goes to their house for the spell and Lily's eyes shine as she looks at him, cradling Harry in his arms. Peter can't look at her.

After, Lily hugs him first, her lips grazing his cheek. "Thank you, thank you," she whispers, and Peter thinks of the (many) times she stepped in when Sirius or James' teasing of him got a little out of hand.

James hugs him next and Peter's the one who pulls away. "You were my idol in school, you know," he says, for no real reason.

Something in James' eyes suggests he did know, but he smiles crookedly and hugs him again. "You're my hero now, mate," he says and gruffly kisses his cheek.

Peter looks at their little family before he Disapparates, and suddenly feels incredibly, incredibly guilty but it's too late and he can't stop this.

* * *

"Crucio!" Bellatrix whispers, almost tenderly, and Peter screams. It's unimaginable pain, pain that shoots through every part of his body, pain that seems eternal and never-ending.

Flames are licking at his soul and he thinks of Lily's fiery red hair and oh god, she's damning him to hell, they all are, James and Sirius and Remus. He screams and screams and begs for them to help him, he's sorry, so sorry, but they just stare, unforgiving, cold, emotionless.

Bellatrix laughs, she's enjoying this, and she pulls him up roughly as he gasps for breath, playing with him like a cat and a mouse. And then he's back on the ground, screaming at the fresh onslaughts of pain.

He thinks of Rosie's eyes, so pure that it hurts to look into them. And Dorcas dances before him and the feel of her lips against his skin is just out of his grasp and she's dead now and he imagines her face, reproachful, saying _I thought you were a great guy, Pete._ And oh god, oh god, doesn't she know that he wanted to be, that it's not his fault, that James and Sirius were never nice to him, that they won't help him, none of them, and oh god, won't the pain stop?

"That's enough, Bella," his Lord says silkily. "I think Wormtail has learned the importance of loyalty, no?"

Dorcas disappears and Peter's alone again. "Yes, my Lord, yes, thank you, yes, you're too good," he whispers, crawling to his master's feet, tears dripping from his eyes.

"No more thoughts of escape, now," his Lord says lazily. "And trust me, Wormtail, I will know."

"No, my Lord, I promise," Peter says earnestly. "I wouldn't dream of escaping, I'm loyal to you forever." He kisses his master's robes and seals his fate.


End file.
